Longtime Hobbyist Will Davis passes

[oaks1912]

I received a call this morning from Gregg Hara letting me know that Will Davis passed away last Wednesday. Will had numerous health issues over the years, and managed to survive a lot longer than even he expected. Will was involved in the hobby for a long time and helped to organize & promote some of Northern California's earliest sports collector's shows in the 70's before returning to Southern California where he lived most of his life. He was instrumental in bringing into the hobby more than 100 million collectible items, including the bulk of the 1964 Topps Giants cards that are in the hobby today. In a single purchase, around 1969, Will acquired 8 million of the uncirculated cards for $100. He was a great person to visit with or have dinner, as he told some great stories. He made many friends over the years. Undoubtedly , many posters or lurkers on this board.

[chris6net]

He will be missed. One of the great hobbyists during its heyday. My condolences to his family. CN

[sealmark2]

Mark you are so correct. I remember Will as a top notch hobbyist back in the 1970's who was always willing to help out a fellow collector. He was one of the many collectors out there who did not seek a lot of recognition but did his thing in a quiet (usually) and professional (always) manner.

Rest in peace Will.

Mark K. Bowers

[Rich Klein]

I had limited dealings with Will but there is no doubt that he was an important and influential early dealer and major collector in the hobby. There was not much that Will did not see in his years

Regards
Rich

[Fred]

I still remember when those 1964 Topps Giant cards were all over the market and CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP. You could pick up the complete set for less than $5 and there was more than you could want. That's a fond hobby memory I have and now I know where it all started. It's sad to find out this neat piece of hobby news by reading about someone's passing.

[ChrisStufflestreet]

I have a hobby reference guide from 1986 that states the 1964 Giants are "common as dirt." Now I know why.

It's sad to discover a long-time collector has passed on, it's essentially a part of our collective information just disappearing in literally a heartbeat.

RIP Will.

[Wite3]

This is sad. Mr. Davis helped me as a young collector and the few times we corresponded he was always great. My condolences to his family and friends.

Joshua

[ethicsprof]

a great loss.
my condolences to family and friends.

Barry

[SteveMitchell]

As Mark stated, "Will was involved in the hobby for a long time [emphasis added] and helped to organize and promote some of Northern California's earliest sports collector's shows in the 1970's before returning to Southern California where he lived most of his life. He was instrumental in bringing into the hobby more than 100 million collectible items, including the bulk of the 1964 Topps Giants cards that are in the hobby today."

I first met Will in 1973. At the time 4 of us were in perhaps the third or fourth issue of Sports Scoop magazine and Will stopped by Seattle for an hour or two to talk about hobby events. He told the story of finding the Topps storehouse of 1964 giant size baseball cards but it was hard to believe until a couple cases of several thousand cards each showed up on my doorstep a few weeks later.

For several years Will made the trek from Southern California to do the annual Washington State Sports Collectors Association show - usually bringing with him some regional or other unusual item unavailable in our area. He did some of the early Nationals (later ones, too?) and actually made a bid for the second National - which was eventually won by Lloyd and Carol Torpe for Plymouth, Michigan.

We last saw him at one of Dennis Purdy's (Vintage & Classic Baseball Collector magazine) final Tacoma Dome shows about five years ago. He was as friendly and enjoining as ever. He will most certainly be missed by all who knew him.

Thank you, Mark...

Steve Mitchell

[Chris Counts]

When I was in high school in the late 1970s, I used to visit a card and memorabilia shop Will operated in downtown Fullerton, California. He was always friendly and helpful. He was a regular at the monthly card shows that existed at the Isaac Walton School in Garden Grove, and later, at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center. Looking back now, that was a wonderful time and place to be a collector. Rest in peace, Will ...

Steve, was the Plymouth show actually the second-ever National? Do you remember what year it was? I was there, and I also attended at least one other "National" before that, in Anaheim (in '74, I think ... I still have the badge around somewhere). For some reason, I had the impression the first National happened in Anaheim in '73 ...

[SteveMitchell]

Chris... The first National (1980) was at Los Angeles, the second at Plymouth, Michigan. There was another L.A. show in the early years: 1985. I remember that first National very well because of the great comraderie and outstanding attendance. Sales weren't too bad, either. Steve

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by Fred

I still remember when those 1964 Topps Giant cards were all over the market and CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP. You could pick up the complete set for less than $5 and there was more than you could want. That's a fond hobby memory I have and now I know where it all started. It's sad to find out this neat piece of hobby news by reading about someone's passing.

If the figures quoted here are correct they should still be cheap. Lordy, that's a lot of cards.